Jake Ellenberger replaces Brian Foster, faces Sean Pierson at UFC 129

Originally expected to face Brian Foster (15-5 MMA, 3-2 UFC) at the April 30 event, Pierson will now face Jake Ellenberger (24-5 MMA, 3-1 UFC), who steps in with a little more than two weeks of notice.

UFC officials today announced the change.

Featuring a welterweight title fight between kingpin Georges St-Pierre and challenger Jake Shields, UFC 129 takes place at Rogers Centre in Toronto and airs on pay-per-view.

Foster was forced to withdraw from the fight with Pierson when an MRI – required by the Ontario Athletic Commission to compete at the event – revealed a brain hemorrhage.

Marc Fiore, who trains Foster at the H.I.T. Squad, told MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) that while his fighter is OK, he is required to undergo another MRI in six weeks to assure no permanent damage is present.

Ellenberger seeks his fourth-straight win after narrowly edging Carlos Eduardo Rocha via split-decision at UFC 126. No stranger to last-minute opponent changes, Ellenberger has been expected to face Jon Fitch at UFC 126 before the perennial contender was pulled in favor of a UFC 127 fight with B.J. Penn.

Meanwhile, Pierson debuted for the UFC this past December and earned a unanimous decision over Matt Riddle. The win was his sixth-straight victory overall.

For complete coverage of UFC 129, stay tuned to the UFC Rumors section of MMAjunkie.com.